Character Creation
Character creation can be long and arduous with many systems, but Hodge boils everything that is needed for play down to a few key facets so that not only is the process painless but your resulting character is actually the one you wanted. The first step is coming up with a character you want to play that fits into the genre the Game Master is running. Determine for yourself what he does for a living, how he chooses to fight, and some of the cool things he can do and why he can do them. Write down his name, if he has family, why he became an adventurer, etc. All of that information is important because you can actually make that character from scratch. The next step in writing up that samurai, marine, mutant, or whatever is to print off the character sheet to the right. This is where you will be recording all the pertinent information about your character. Now, just keep your character in mind and go down this list filling out your character sheet as you go along. There are two examples for each step so that there is a clear image of what the numbers represent. Statistics A character starts at first level with 40 points that you invest into statistics with a maximum of 15 in any given statistic. :Example 1: Ianto the Paladin: The heavily armored knight with a sharp blade and durable demeanor. Uses a sword so that is a NoA method, and he is pretty good at it so he gets a 7 in it. He is heavily armored and has Paladin resistances so I gave him a 9 in NoD and 8 in SpD since he is more armored than immune. I also am only giving him a 3 in Speed since he is so heavily armored he moves slower than others. His health statistic is a good solid 10 portraying that he is relatively durable in combat. :Example 2: Korvin the Space Scoundrel: The fast, blaster wielding, lightly armored skirmisher. Uses a plasma based blaster rifle so that would fall under SpA, and he has had lots of "practice" with it so a solid 12 would portray that experience. However, he does not have much armor, preferring to stay out of reach, so he has a 5 in NoD and a 7 in SpD due to the type of energy protected armor he is wearing. He is very light on his feet so he has a 9 in Speed, however due to the low armor and choosing to avoid than confront has made him relatively frailer to other combatants at 7 health. Skills A character starts at first level with 12 points that you invest into Skills with a maximum of 5 in any given skill. :Example 1: Ianto the Paladin: Ianto is very charismatic (4 Social), fairly observant (2 Perception), and able to plow through obstacles (4 Athletics). He lived in the city and knows nothing of the wilderness or trickery (No Cunning), and sees shame in hiding (No Stealth) He was also taught in the monastery by monks (2 Knowledge). :Example 2: Korvin the Space Scoundrel: Korvin knows his way around a universe and into other people's credit accounts (3 Cunning), is always on the run and in hiding (3 Stealth), has a silver tongue to get himself out of trouble (2 Social), and is relatively hard to keep behind bars (2 Athletics). He isn't very observant (No Perception), and is streetwise but knows very little about history (2 Knowledge). Hit Points (HP) You have a number of Hit Points equal to 10 + (4 × Health statistic). A character dies at a number of negative HP equal to the player's health statistic. You heal a number of HP each 8-hour rest equal to your health statistic. :Example 1: Ianto the Paladin: Ianto has 10 in the Health Statistic, so 10 + (4 × 10) = 50 HP. :Example 2: Korvin the Space Scoundrel: Korvin has 7 in the Health Statistic, so 10 + (4 × 7) = 38 HP. Base Movement Your base movement is equal to 3, plus 1 for every three points in your Speed Statistic, rounded down. This is how many squares you can move in a single round without penalty. :Example 1: Ianto the Paladin: Ianto has 3 in his Speed Statistic, so he can move 3 + (3/3) = 4 squares. :Example 2: Korvin the Space Scoundrel: Korvin has 9 in his Speed Statistic, so he can move 3 + (9/3) = 6 squares. Styles This determines how you attack, whether its melee or range, and the type of damage you are used to dealing. :Example 1: Ianto the Paladin: Ianto is Melee (S), since he fights in melee and (S)lashes with his sword. :Example 2: Korvin the Space Scoundrel: Korvin is Range (F), since he shoots people at a distance and deals (F)ire damage with his plasma rifle. Utility Powers A Character starts at first level with two different 1st-tier Utility Powers. :Example 1: Ianto the Paladin: Ianto wants to look an opponent in the eye and challenge him to fight to the death with no distractions or diversions, and use the holy light of his god to keep him alive long enough to slay the chosen foe. So Ianto has Taunt to grab and hold an enemy's attention, and Righteous to keep him alive as long as he is in combat. :Example 2: Korvin the Space Scoundrel: Korvin wants the proficiency to shoot out the ankles of his opponents to slow them down, and he has mastered the art of being a pain to hit and tiring out his opponents. So Korvin got Slow to represent shooting ankles, and Tire to portray his ability to annoy a single target. Utility Points This represents the number of times that you can use your utility powers each day. A first level character has 6 Utility Points each day. They can be replenished only after an 8-hour rest. :Example: Both Ianto and Korvin have 6 Utility Points at first level. Level A player usually starts at first level, and gains levels at the Game Master’s discretion. Each new level the character progresses they receive 3 additional points that they must spend in three different statistics and 2 additional skill points that they must spend on different skills. Players will also progress a Utility Power they have up 1 tier, or gain a new 1st-tier Utility Power. They also receive an additional Utility Point each level.